A new direction
by hubball
Summary: Master Chief Petty Officer SPARTAN 117-John, legend among humans, a fierce myth to the Marines he once fought with, now presumed dead and the only thing he left to the universe was mangled covenant bodies. How will he cope with losing his purpose in life?
1. A new Direction: prologue

Master Chief Petty Officer SPARTAN 117-John, a legend among humans, a fierce myth to the Marines he once fought with, now presumed dead and the only thing he left to the universe was mangled covenant bodies. Awoken on a burning ship, the pillar of autumn, as it hurtled through space after escaping reach with the only Spartan believed to be left alive, covenant boarded and began killing everyone they could find. Escaping while his commander crashed the pillar of autumn onto a nearby ring shaped world, he and Cortana an advanced AI capable of unlimited intelligence, discovered that it wasn't a planet, but an instillation used to eradicate all sentient life in the universe. All this was done to stop the spread of a life form that could decimate the entire universe and every sign of life in it. The flood. The name was an apt description because like a flood they travelled, unstoppable, consuming everything in its path. Chief managed to avert the covenants plans to activate the station, and also eliminate the immediate flood threat by overloading the pillar of autumns main reactors and destroying the artificial planet, along with everything on it. This earned him the respect and admiration of many of his peers, elevating him to an almost god like status.

A year passed, and the war between the covenant and the UNSC still raged. The chief returns to earth, boarding one of the three hundred space defense stations that orbited it. With Sergeant Major Johnson by his side he received a hero's welcome. Clad in his Mark IV suit, the chief loomed over everyone, the green giant he was. He turned to Johnson "you told me there wasn't going to be any cameras" for once emotion coming into master chiefs voice. He looked down at the black man that had become the closest friend he probably had, ever. Johnson looked up at him, wearing the white regalia reserved for special occasions, and simply said "You told me you were going to wear something nice!" they walked down a gang way, marines in the hundreds overlooking them and applauding. "Folks need hero's Chief, to give them hope." He took of the white hat he was wearing, uncomfortable in anything that wasn't his combat uniform, and ran a hand over his head "So smile would ya? While we still got something to smile about" he replaced his hat and walked through the automatic doors that opened upon his presence, the chief in silent tow.

They entered a gigantic room, with people covering every balcony available, applauding as both made their way up the stairs to the commander, saluting as they came to a halt at the of the stairs, commander returning it in kind. The aging man smiled and said "Gentlemen, were lucky to have you back" before he could continue any further, a major behind him came and whispered something into his ear, commander nodded and turned to a podium next to them "Go ahead Cortana". A woman appeared on the podium, no higher than a foot and covered in purple runes, a holographic projection of life but a personality and intelligence to surpass many who lived today. She stood with a hand on her hip "Another whisper sir, near Io, we have probes en-route" she said in a pleasant voice, although a bored one. Commander nodded once again and turned to the chief and the sergeant. "I apologize but were going to have to make this quick" he turned once again to pick up the medals that the major offered him. Cortana looked up at the chief, and smiled, her personality once returning to her, "You look nice" she remarked, her smile turning a little cheeky.

"Thanks" said the chief and Johnson at the same time, both then giving each other a look.

"Sergeant Major Johnson, the commonial cross is awarded for singular acts of daring and devotion." He pinned the medal onto Johnson's blazer, he swelled with so much pride that if his chest stuck out anymore he probably would have taken off. Wasn't long after that that the station was attacked, covenant boarding ships managed to infiltrate nearly every station dropping off powerful bombs that easily ripped them apart. Only a few were activated, the chief disarming one and in an unbelievable act managed to push the deactivated bomb through space and onto a covenant capital cruiser, him following closely behind. He activated it and pushed himself away, the explosion rocketing him towards sergeant major Johnson's ship, landing with a deep thud on the hull. The Sergeant looked up, smiled and said "For a brick, he flew pretty good!"

Earth was attacked, a whole city disappearing in an instant due to a slipspace jump done by a covenant capital ship. The chief's ship followed. They came upon a new Halo, later fount to be one of seven installations through the galaxy. It nearly became activated, although the index needed was captured at last minute, disabling the firing. But the station had put the other installations on standby, able to be remotely activated by a place called the Ark, location currently unknown. Chief is currently aboard a covenant ship heading for earth.

After abandoning the ship in orbit, he hits the ground roughly going the same speed as a space ship reentering orbit and smashed into the ground, a crater forming around him. Marines and the arbiter, an elite that revolted along with others against the covenant, fount him and assumed him dead. He survived, and while defending earth against the covenant forces, the aliens discover a huge forerunner structure under the African desert and the prophets begin trying to activate it, presumably this must be the Ark. A huge offence is mounted, but to no avail, the structure is activated and a portal is opened above it, chief's ship just managing to make it through before it closed. They get sent to the Ark, and after fighting their way inside through countless enemies, the arbiter and the chief find Miranda keyes, daughter of the famous commander keyes that helped destroy the first Halo, killed by the prophet of truth and sergeant Johnson being forced to activate the rings. They discover that a new Halo has been built to replace the one destroyed by the chief year ago. After killing the prophet of truth, they flee to the new Halo, knowing this was the only way to stop the flood that had landed on earth and was spreading rapidly. They decide to activate the new Halo, one that was not yet linked to the others, so deploying it would not cause the entire population to crumble. They fight their way to the control room, the arbiter and chief entering. However guilty spark 343, a keeper droid, attempts to stop them, saying that activating the ring would prove too much for the rings current condition and cause it to rupture. The spark lands a mortal wound on the sergeant, and after the chief destroys it he runs to the sergeant's body, dropping to his knees as he does. He turns the man onto his back, and says "I'm getting you out of here"

The man smiles and coughs, blood being pushed out of his mouth. "Forget it, I'm finished" he grabs the chief's hand "don't you ever leave her, never leave her." He pauses for a bit and looks at the chief, he smiles again. "Send me out, with a bang" his head falls back, eye closing as his last breath leaves his body. His hand falls from the chief's grasp, leaving cortana's chip in it. He walks slowly over to the control panel and puts Cortana close to, she jumps to the panel, materializing, and whispers to the chief "I am so sorry". She turns, knowing her words won't help, and activates the ark, turning around and touches the chief's hand, returning to her data disk. He pushed the disk into his helmet, Cortana linking with his suit. Taking one last look at the sergeant he turns and begins the run away as a massive shaft of light emerges. The arbiter and the chief hijack a warthog, and race to a close by UNSC frigate. They manage to launch themselves onto it, and activate the ship. The arbiter moves to the cockpit, the chief stays. As the portal stays open to earth the arbiter's half of the ship manages to make it through and crashes to earth. The chiefs half doesn't, and gets flung into space.

"Chief!"

John-117 looked around, his eyesight foggy and disorientated. His head felt like it has been stamped on by something huge. Repeatedly.

"Chief!"

He lifted his head up and saw a dark corridor stretching out before him. He felt the familiar sense of weightlessness that anti gravity brings.

"Oh thank god" Cortana's voice rang through his helmet, relief evident in her voice. It quickly turned to sadness though "I thought I'd lost you." John paused slightly, wondering if he should reply. He chose not to and instead put on his head light beams, the corridor in front of him suddenly brightening up. He grabbed onto a beam that was protruding from the wall, and pulled himself forward floating gently toward the front of the ship. "We made it through" said Cortana, her voice a welcome break to the silence. John looked out at the blankness of space, where the rest of the ship should be. "Well, most of us did anyway" said Cortana, giving a fake little laugh. "The portal closed on us as we passed through, the ring wasn't able to support it anymore and it cut us clean in half." John turned around, leaving the stars behind and headed into the ship. After ten minutes of searching he fount what he was looking for, the cryogenic chambers. "But you did it. Truth. The covenant. The flood. It's finished" He loaded Cortana into a podium, her image appearing and lighting up the surrounding area, turning off his head lights he hung onto the podium, his body floating horizontal in space.

"It's finished" repeated John, seeming a little dejected. He looked at Cortana one last time, before pushing himself away toward the cryopod. He placed his assault rifle in the holding place next to the chamber, before slowly lowering himself in. "I'll drop a beacon" came Cortana's voice "but it'll be a while before anyone finds us." John lay back in the pod, making sure he was strapped in. "years even" finished Cortana, looking down. John took one last look at Cortana before the lid slowly started to close. "I'll miss you" she said, quickly, almost as if before her mind had chance to stop her. Chief watched her as the lid closed, and just before it did, he said "Wake me, when you need me" Cortana looked up in shock, before bowing her head once more. The lid finally closed, chief's eyes never leaving her as the cryo chamber kicked in freezing him instantly. The last thing he saw was Cortana, hugging herself.

This is where the story of master chief now continues.


	2. A new direction: Chapter 1

His whole body seemed to be on fire, pain erupting form everywhere and anywhere it could find purchase, stemming from his spine and curling itself up into his neck before finding a second wind and spreading toward everything that could feel. His heart felt like a jackhammer against his chest and his lungs felt like they were going fly out his mouth, his stomach not being soon after. And yet he was piercingly cold, like gale force winds were being shot through his armour and around his battered skin and through it hitting the deepest parts of his anatomy. He tried to open his eyes and failed. He was helpless, not even being able to open his eyes let alone move around. He couldn't think straight, his usually scenario rich mind now nothing but an empty mass. If not for his training panic would be settling in.

Alarms sounded in his head. Years of training took over the battered body and his eyes snapped opened and his muscles tensed, ready. He instantly regretted the movement as his body spurted up in a new bout of pain, leaving him gritting his teeth instead of shouting in agony. Spartans don't show pain. A woman suddenly appeared in his visor. Instead of being the bright and cheerful person he had become accustomed to she appeared drained. Her glow now appeared subdued, the runes covering her body blurred at the edges and what could only be described as purple sweat seemed to drip off her body as she fizzled sporadically in and out of view. His oldest and closest living friend looked down at him, her eyes wide. "Chief you need to move, and quickly. There's a thing on board, I can't get a reading off it and I can't find anyway of getting it off the ship." Cortana's voice didn't sound much better; it put John in the sense of mind of an old woman slowly degrading away on a hospital bed. Chief then looked around, as if not realising where he was, eyes barely remaining open after so long in the cryopod. "Chief you need to be up and about round about now, come on chief!" he barely registered the strained tone in Cortana's voice. His hand moved to his head as he groaned and leaned backward, his armoured head banging gently against the back of the cryo pod.

"My head feels like it's on fire" muttered John-117, leaning slightly forward. He groaned louder as is head hit the glass door to his cyropod. "Why isn't it open?" he asked almost to himself, placing his hands flat against the bullet proof glass casing.

"Most electrical systems are offline" came Cortana's voice "We are in only half a ship, remember? Look all can be explained later, I had no time to initiate the normal wake up procedure, I only just came on half a minute ago myself. Chief we need you up!" Cortana nearly shouted, panic starting to rise. The thing that boarded had just neared the cryo chamber. Luckily Cortana managed to stop the alarms from sounding anywhere but in chief's helmet, so with any luck it wouldn't know they were here.

"Chief!" Cortana screamed. It startled John who had been falling back into cryo sleep and he lashed out, kicking the hardened door clean off its hinges and making it slam against the far wall. He drifted forward in anti-gravity, finding and activating the local gravity field in the room. He fell, and landed heavily on his hands and knees grunting from the pain and the sudden dizziness he felt. He got to his feet shakily, putting his hand against the now empty and derelict pod for support, Cortana all the while screaming at him to move or he was dead.

"Will you please be quiet? I'm in enough pain as it is" he moaned, turning around and prying his assault rifle from the holster next to the cryopod, he shouldered it, aimed down its sight, checked the ammo and removed the safety. Even in his weakened state he did it so quickly it was a blur. "Right, where?" he asked, battle mode now instantly in play. He held the gun up into a firing position and moved towards the entrance to the cryo bay, his legs feeling gradually stronger with each step.

"It's about to enter this bay, move chief!" said Cortana, her panic now under control. John quickly looked around; trying to figure out a good place an eight foot tall green giant could hide. He sighted somewhere nearby, and reaching for it hid himself in the shadows, waiting.

Samus Aran had had a niggling feeling at the back of her neck ever since she entered this derelict ship, and being a veteran of many battles she knew that instinct when it came down to it was the one thing that kept her alive. So as she hovered her gunship outside the derelict ship she boosted in, landing swiftly and quietly despite the armour she wore, her personal gravity field activating as she landed. She immediately got to her feet and scanned the surroundings, looking for any movement. Apart from the bits of debris that was suspended in anti gravity there seemed no threats. Still she kept her weapon up and ready. She moved, with her cannon arm pointed directly in front with her left arm supporting it. She came to a corridor, completely black and silent, she moved slowly down, scanning everything and looking for the slightest movement. Her personal gravity module allowed her to stick firmly to the floor, walking as she would at any other time she was expecting an attack. She leaned round a corner and quickly popped out, sighting down her cannon arm again. Nothing. She began moving forward again, her own breath exceedingly loud in her ears. Her scanner bleeped, a power source had been detected near the other end of the ship. She moved quickly, but still taking precautions round corners. She began to near the source, when she heard a loud crash, followed by what her suit detected as a gravity module being activated, followed by a dull thud. She began to prime her laser cannon. She pulled up outside a room listed as cryogenics, and laid herself flat against the wall on the side of the door, pressed the touch pad to unlock it and they slid open surprisingly quietly for a ship in this state. Samus took a deep breath and moved in, quickly checking left and right her scanner moving quickly to detect anything that could possibly prove a threat. There were two pods in the middle of the rectangular room, with a podium of some sort standing directly between the two and slightly in front. She set her scanner on it and it lit up, a small holographic woman with purple runes covering her body appeared, she seemed surprised that she was there but quickly recovered and smiled up at Samus "Hi" it said, before a dull thud sounded behind her, a dull thud the sound of someone's feet would make after hitting the floor falling from the roof rafters. Before she could react she felt the all to familiar impact of a nozzle of a weapon hitting the back of her helmet. A deep male voice said "Move and I'll blow a hole straight through your skull". Samus slowly raised her hands into the air cursing her rookie mistake.

Chief looked down his sights at the tall thing in front of him. It seemed to be human shaped, although what it was wearing could make it anyone's guess as to actually what it was. An orange plated form stood in front of him, with a red helmet and giant ball shaped shoulder pads and what seemed a small jetpack, much similar to a Spartan jump pack, fixed on its back. The armour seemed slick and brand new, or at least in good condition, and at each major joint a circular green light shined brightly through, illuminating the surrounding area. At it's joints the armour seemed to cut off to allow for movement easily, them being covered by a thick black felt much found on jointed parts on spacecraft and also his own armour. The thing spoke, a metallic voice sounding through the emptiness "Do you really think a normal round will penetrate this armour?"

The chief looked at his gun. "No, I don't" he said, before suddenly firing just past her head at the opposing wall, he smirked as the thing in front jumped a little, the round passing through the wall of the chamber into the next room and through that one and embedded itself in the far wall of the corridor. "But these here aren't normal rounds; they were built to specifically target tanks." He butted the back of its head with the nozzle again "So unless that suit of yours can turn off a tank round with ease this will melt through it in a second" silence rang out between them as the thing in front seemed to contemplate just how likely a tank round would get through this suit and seemed to come to a decision.

"Ok, so you're winning at the moment, what do you want?" it said, its emotionless, monotone synthesised voice echoing out through the blackness.

Cortana piped up at this point in time "Who are you?"

The thing looked taken aback a little, or at least from what they could tell from the suit, as if surprised they were asking that question. "I'm Samus Aran" It grunted a little as the nozzle hit the back of its head again.

"If she wanted your name she would have asked for it. Who are you and why are you here?" said the chief, his deep voice sounding almost as a growl. The thing in front paused a little, before replying "I'm a bounty hunter. As I was heading to my next mission I saw this distress beacon on my scanner. It was very weak and the only reason I picked it up was because I was flying very close." It looked around and took in its predicament. "Although from what I can see you don't seem all that distressed" The chief hit it in the back of the head again.

"I have a very short patience and a very happy trigger finger, don't test me." He turned his head to Cortana "What can you get from your scans now it's closer?"

Cortana talked to chief while keeping her eyes on the thing in front "It's human. Or humanish, like you it seems to have had argumentations on its body, although not of the cybernetic type. Showing majorly increased muscle tissue and synaptic nerve activity."

"Which means what?"

"Which means you should keep that trigger finger a little happier" she turned to chief and gave him a quick smile, he damaged face for a split second returning to her usual happy self, before turning back to the figure "Any more analysis seems to be impossible, almost as if the suit is blocking me out, that's all the data I can get chief."

John looked at the thing in front of it, thoughts running through his head as Cortana recognised the signs of an internal struggle in his body posture. As if before he could second guess himself he pulled the gun away from its head and walked over to Cortana, placing her into her data disk and inserting her into his helmet. He did this all in front of the captive. He turned and faced her, gun lowered but ready to be raised at a moments notice.

"You can lower your hands if you want" said chief, his curt tones losing all the hostility of before. "Come, I've not spoken to anyone in what I'm guessing is a long time" he said, walking towards the door to the room. He stopped and looked over his shoulder at the figure "Seems I have a lot to catch up on." And then turned and left the room. Samus stood still for a moment before, shaking her head, following the massive figure in front. "Cortana send out a message on all local channels, try and get me a pick up"

"Aye aye chief" she replied.

Samus followed the quiet man for what seemed like a while, not sure what to make of him, simply because for the first time in years she had felt something she thought she had control of. Fear. For the first time in a long while her legs had shaken and she sweated uncontrollably, expecting at any moment to become another body on what she's guessing was a long list for this man. The pressure he exerted over her when he held the gun to the back of her head nearly made her collapse, yet now, he seems calm, serene, if not a little lost as if he was unsure of what to do with himself. Its quite amazing, she thought, to go from being mind numbingly terrifing to soothing to be around, the qualities of a natural born leader.

The man in front, his armour having a striking resemblance to her own, not so much in the looks but the equipment it used was so advanced, if not for the battle scars and plasma burns she detected through it she would have suspected it of being made yesterday. It registered as a mark IV MJOLNIR battle suit, the electric ID code for the suit being easily fount in the breastplate. It seemed awfully familiar to the suit she wore, the shield system was remarkably similar to the energy tanks that her suit employed, along with the integrated cooling and heating system and eco life support unit built in to allow them to survive literally anywhere. The major difference's in the suits wasn't the protection, shields can't get better unless they are programmed to hold more energy like Samus's; the major difference was in the HUD display. From her scans she could see that he only had a basic visor, just to protect the face and nothing much more to it, where as hers had an active HUD, always scanning and analysing everything with an alert system for when danger was approaching or hazards were around. Maps of the area and data download could be done just by looking at a data panel and a plan of action could be discerned in a matter of seconds.

The other thing that puzzled her was the small purple woman that appeared on the podium, now put on a data disk and inserted into the back of his suit. She scanned the "smart" AI and fount something incredible. It had been "alive" now for more than its programmed life span of seven years. Seven years in itself is nothing of import, but when the body houses a mind where seven seconds feels like an eternity that is a phenomenal amount of time. The sub-routines installed in every "smart" AI means that it begins to shut down at the first sign of rampancy, or madness in common words. Although, Samus could hazard a guess as to why it was still operational. It had shut itself off, made itself obsolete until something activated it or a threat came on board. Namely Samus. The AI was in a state of disarray, the purple code that outlined the woman's figure was starting to pale and what could only be described as drip from her. Samus gave it a day at the most, maybe even just a couple of hours. She looked at the hulking figure walking ahead of her and wandered if he knew? She felt a pang of guilt, while not knowing him or the AI she could tell they had a chemistry between them, and having lost people in her life she didn't wish it upon anyone, even her enemies. It made it worse when her suit's HUD detected that the AI had developed feelings on her apparent own, an un-documented occurrence. She hoped the already unstable person in front of her wouldn't be too badly affected by the loss that was going to happen.

The man turned down a corridor seemingly the same as all others, gray, drab, uninviting and boring, Cortana activating the local gravity fields as they went in, deactivating the ones behind in an effort to retain what little power they had left. He grunted as he noticed the state of the double doors that blocked his path. Punching a hole into each door he slowly but surely pried open the sliding double doors blocking their path revealing ahead of them a small bare room. A sofa that made a circle, a podium in the middle of it and a bed at the far wall was all that really matted the small room, no personal artefacts anywhere to be seen on the grey walls, no pictures of family or friends on the bare silver shelves. The only item that didn't seem to have been issued was a green US marine cap that stood next to a lamp on a bedside table. Her scanner zoomed in on the words written on the side of the cap in official military grade font.

SGT MAJOR AVERY JOHNSON.

Just underneath, as if almost as an after thought were three simple words that Samus couldn't help but chuckle at.

ONE BAD MOTHER!

She looked back and noticed the giant man looking at the cap along with her. He walked over to it, and as if answering a question she needn't ask, he said solemnly in his gravel like voice "He wrote that on the side of his cap. One of the very few men I respected, despite not being as…" he paused for a second, looking at the cap and turning it over "… advanced as me, he had a heart that twenty Spartans couldn't fill. He was an army trapped in one mans body." The man just stared at the cap for an awhile, before seeming to remember who he was talking to and where and quickly put the cap back on the bed stand, coughing a little as he turned away and sat down on the nearby sofa, beckoning Samus to do the same. She remained standing with her hand resting lightly on her cannon arm, to which the man just shrugged and relaxed into the sofa. Well, as relaxed as a pole straight back can look.

"My names Master Chief, and before you ask yes I do have a name and no you may not know it. The small shiny thing you saw earlier was Cortana"

"Pig" came Cortana's voice. Chief just seemed to ignore this and remained focused on Samus.

"So, what's your rank and what squadron do you belong to?"

Samus's eyebrows crossed at this, her head tilting to the side. "I don't have a rank or a squadron, I'm a bounty hunter" She said, the metallic voice that her mask produced covering any feeling or definition of her voice.

Chief's head perked up at this "Bounty Hunter? They've been outlawed for years"

Samus gave a brief bark of a laugh before saying "Outlawed? No, there even sanctioned by the Galactic Federation"

Chief just looked at her, before shaking his head and saying "Bounty Hunters are legal? What's the Galactic Federation?" Master Chief looked up at her, his body freezing as a realisation came upon him. "Samus" his deep voice rang out, trepidation lining every word "I want a location and date of here and now" Samus didn't answer for a second, her face screwing up in confusion that luckily the mask hid from Chief.

"Samus, now!" Barked Master Chief, rising to his feet. Reactions took over for Samus and she immediately pointed her cannon arm at the green giant, her left hand resting on top. She instantly realised what she had done, as the chief was reaching for his assault rifle by the sofa.

"Whoa wait!" shouted Samus, her hand lifting off her cannon and holding it up in a peace gesture "It was just a reaction, I'm sorry" she slowly lowered her weapon, not wanting to give this already twitchy man anymore reason to raise a weapon towards her. The man seemed to believe her, and sat down once again lowering the gun form his shoulder, except this time he rested the assault rifle on his lap instead of next to the sofa, his finger lightly on the trigger.

"Date and location" he repeated, his voice and presence no longer the calming one she followed down here, but the terrifying presence that held the gun to the back of her head. She told herself her legs were shaking from the cold, but seeing as her suit regulated her temperature to the norm, she new this to be a lie. She fought to keep her voice steady.

"Year is 2079, location is Federation space just outside Tallon IV" she said, pleased when her voice didn't shake or shudder. The pressure form the man in font of her instantly dropped and disappeared, her legs once again retaining control. Master Chief just sat there, his body frozen and hands rested on his legs, not moving a muscle and seemingly staring into no where.

"…Cortana, I think you can shut off that beacon." Said the man, his voice sounding human since the first time they met.

"Will do Chief" responded Cortana, sadness sounding in her voice.

"No one's coming for us"

**well, there ya go, first chapter up. sorry it took so long but im still unsure on the story at large so i had to change this chapter many a time to fit what i thought i could write efficiently at... im going to be changing soem things round the universe, and while keeping to the origional cannon as much as possible i will deviate from the cannon if needs be to make the story work. And also the next chapter or a chapter soon will see the death of a much loved chracter of mine, the only reason being i dont think i can give the much loved charater the narrative it deserves.**

**cookie if you can guess who.**

**seeing as this is my first story for fan-fiction, and the first one im actually taking seriously, i will appreciate any reviews or comments that help me progress in the story, making them more enjoyable for you, the readers.**

**flamers can get stuffed.**

**thanks for taking the time to read this **

**oll x  
**


	3. A new direction: Chapter 2

Chapter 2

John-117 sat alone in his quarters, his mind still trying to get used to the fact that he wasn't even in the same galaxy he just left, that there was no UNSC, no marines, no earth. But most importantly for him, a machine bred for war, there was no fight. The covenant may as well not have existed, for this Galaxy had never heard of it. That was Chiefs sole and only purpose in life, he fought and killed and without that drive he felt at a loss, that he was just akin to a spare part that floated around, a cog that was no longer needed because the machine had changed and he didn't fit.

For the first time in his life Master Chief felt useless.

So here he was, a former shell of the force he used to be in a derelict ship with a glowing two foot woman and an equally anti-social tin can of a person. He sat alone in the near dark, Cortana's light illuminating very little of the room, his armour had been taken to storage where computerised maintenance was now taking place upon it. Sat in his black skin tight t-shirt and trousers, he leaned forward and steeped his fingers in front of his face. It wasn't long before John groaned and put his now un-helmeted head in his hands, leaning on his knees as thoughts stopped tolling round in his mind. What am I to do? He asked himself, not surprised when no answer came back. He peeked up over the edge of his fingers and sighted Johnson's army cap on the bed side table. "Things were so much simpler back then" he muttered "I had something to do, something to be. Now?" he removed his hands from his face and stared at them, noticing the deep calluses that adorned them from their over use, and sighed once again. "Now I have no idea what I am". He slowly stood up and for the second time that day picked up Johnson's cap, turning it round. Memories spiked up, and he instantly put it down lest he began to get lost in them, turning away sharply and heading to the bathroom.

"You will always have a purpose John" came Cortana's voice from the podium in the middle of the room. John looked back over his shoulder as his hand rested on the bathrooms doorway, and ignored how shrivelled Cortana had begun looking.

"Maybe Cortana, maybe."

He turned away and entered the bathroom, taking off his black top and throwing it into the corner of the room. He reached into the shower and turned it to boiling hot, before turning away and looking into the bathroom mirror, leaning his hands on the sides of the sink. He looked upon his hardened features. He looked at his short thick brown hair and ran a hand through it, wondering when the last time he looked upon his un-helmeted face actually was. He noticed the hard jaw that ran in deep to his neck, the stern cheekbones and permanent smouldering look that always seemed to be there, even if he relaxed completely. Scars scattered his face from the argumentations he had taken in the stages of his training, the one that ran from under his right eyelid down to mid cheek, the one on the left side of his forehead that seemed to follow his hair line in a curve, the one that ran from the middle of his nose left to once again finish mid cheek. Through all this one feature always seemed out of place to him, and while he had never cared for looks, there hadn't been a time or need, he always wandered why he got the eyes he had. Because staring back at him through the war hardened face, through the scars and strong jaw and permanent scowl, were the brightest and deepest blue eyes he had seen on anyone. He never understood it, in the years he had served he thought everything had become emotionless, but there they were, remaining full of life as the first day he could remember seeing them. Taking one last look he turned away and pulled off his trousers and in one movement jumped into the shower while throwing them into the pile with his shirt. He didn't recoil from the boiling hot water, but embraced it, another thing he couldn't remember doing last, taking a long warm shower and just falling into the feel of it. He leaned against the wall with both hands and just let the water run down his back as he felt the knots of constant fighting beginning to unravel in his spine, a pleased groan escaping his lips before he could stop it. He stood up, turned, and leaned with his back against the wall, the showers spray now hitting the top of his head and running down his body. He looked at his arms and chest, running his hands over the scars he had there, the bullet holes and plasma burns, the puncture wounds of a knife and the gashes of flying shrapnel.

His body, well worked and well looked after, was not a specimen of supreme beauty or model worthy, and while it was still a body that pulled envy out of people it wasn't for how it looked, it was for how it _moved_. Every time he turned, even for the slightest movements herculean muscles had to move to allow smaller muscles passage, and even the smaller muscles made most fitness fanatics turn green with jealousy. Instead of being something beautiful it was something dangerous, it didn't radiate attractiveness, instead it _oozed _power. A destructive force that could not be stopped or tamed, just something you can run from and hope you stay in front of. He cleaned himself and turned the shower off, stepping heavily out and wrapping a towel around his waist before heading out into the main room.

Chief's mind wandered to Samus, the mysterious armoured figure that had fount him on this ship. After excusing itself to check upon its ship, Chief had done nothing but try and figure out what to do now, now that everything he had known had vanished, and one thought kept prevailing in his head. She's a bounty hunter, which means there will be fights, maybe even wars; you'll have a purpose, a reason to be. He sat down heavily on the grey couch and leaned back into it, grabbing a faded brown ledger off the round table in front of him. He opened up at a marked page and pulled out a pen and then began to write.

Samus finished checking over her ship, just basic checks that would mean that they could take off and land without the uncomfortable hindrance of dying. She double checked and sometimes triple checked the operating specifications making sure the ship matched them, all to be safe she told herself. She knew she was just making excuses as to why she wasn't going back in the derelict ship, it was because of _him. _Over the past years she had had little contact with other life that didn't involve money being exchanged or plasma bolts flashing past her head, so when the awkward silence popped up between them she had no idea how to act. So she left and did something she knew she could, and that was repairing her ship.

She didn't even know why she was still here, regulation dictates that she should take him to the nearest galactic federation station and have him recorded and tested. But she wasn't exactly under obligation as a free lancer to do that and had little or any intention of doing so. So she waited, unsure of what to do with him or what to even say.

He's well trained, that's obvious form being able to get the drop on me so effortlessly (her pride still stung a little when she thought about it), he has a cool head and seems to be able to handle himself. I could take him along on this mission, it saves me back tracking and making unnecessary trips when my mission needs to be completed.

She kept on mulling it over while servicing the ship, the motions already second nature to her. Her hands slowly stopped moving as she came to a decision. She stepped out from under her ship and re-activated her suit, the thick orange hide coming back into view. She walked back into the derelict ship quickly, as if before reason could take over her mind. She winded round the ship, trying to remember where Chief's quarters were located. She passed by an open door, stopped, then slowly started walking backwards and eventually peered round and looked in. She saw chief standing up facing away from the door, his armour on except for his helmet, and writing in what appeared to be a brown old journal with bits of paper sticking out at odd angles here and there. She watched for a bit longer before knocking lightly on the door. The chief's head snapped to look over his shoulder, quickly snapping the book closed and going to hide it in his armour somewhere before stopping. He slowly placed the journal down on the table, refitted his helmet, and then picked up the journal again before turning to Samus. "I used to hide this" he said, opening the journal and looking through it "I didn't want people knowing that I kept it. Stupid now I look back on it."

"What do you keep in there?" Asked Samus, her suits voice mechanics covering up the sound of her voice and any emotion involved.

Chief seemed to have not heard her, still flicking through the pages of the journal, lingering on one page before moving on to another.

"Memories" he finally answered, before closing it with a snap and placing it inside his chest piece. "I just finished his section" he said, nodding to Johnson's cap next to the bed. He walked over to his assault rifle and began stripping it, placing each part strategically down on the table. "So, what do you need?" asked chief speaking over his shoulder.

Samus stared a little, forgetting why she had, before it came back to her quickly, and instantly wished it hadn't.

"Where do you plan on going?" She asked, stepping into the room. The man in front of her stopped for a fraction of a second before returning to his rifle. "No idea" he replied rather quickly, his voice showing the distaste he felt. Samus nodded, her voice suddenly not operating anymore.

"We-well, if you fancied it, you could, you know, come with me for a bit and help me out or something".

Chief stopped and looked over at Samus, who turned her head away and folded her arms, not wanting meet the Chief's face.

Chief smirked under his helmet, his sense of humour making him unable to keep his mouth shut "Oh, and why would I want to do that?" he asked, turning to face the thing in front of him.

"Well, you can fight from what I know and I'm a bounty hunter" Samus replied, gaining apparent confidence after every word. "And it saves me heading back the millions of miles it took to get here, may as well take you along and then drop you off wherever on the way back" she shrugged, still not looking at master chief "just be easier" it said, finally looking back at him. He was again glad that his helmet hid his face as another grin was edging its way across. He kept his voice perfectly calm though "yeah, sounds like a plan" he said, happy that he didn't bring up the subject and that the person in front of him wasn't much of a people person either. He turned and picked up his assault rifle and side arm from the table, placing them in the magnetic slots on his armour. He turned to face the podium where Cortana was standing "come on Cortana, we have a ride out of here". Cortana's face instantly shadowed over, her head dropping down and away from Johns, not being able to meet his gaze.

"Not for me there isn't" she said, softly, almost as a whisper. Silence rung out between the three, the small grey room suddenly seeming too small. Master Chief stood, still, in the middle of the room, as he slowly turned to the decaying Cortana, a sad smile playing on her dropping lips.

"Don't give me that look, I have a couple of days at most, you know it, I know, and even the big silent yellow tin over there knows it" Said Cortana, a weak smile attempting to cross her face, which fell short.

"Samus" said chief's cold, dead voice.

"I'll be by the ship" said Samus, turning and leaving, knowing she had no right there, as the gray door closed behind her taking all the sadness with it.

"Chief, look at me." Said Cortana "I know you can so look at me." John's eyes slowly came to meet Cortana's, and he instantly looked way again, shoulders tense and hands clenched, teeth gritting against each other in anger.

"You can't just go like this" snarled out Master Chief's voice "everything you've been through and pulled through, the grave mind, the purging of Halo. And now some stupid pre-determined design is going to take you down?" he threw out his arms in anger, pacing back and forth.

"I know, I know Chief, it sucks for me more than you know" Cortana chuckled "but its how it is, we now need to deal with it" she whispered, growing to Chief's height and walking towards him, standing not an inch in-front of him. She looked into his mask, knowing where his eyes are, and didn't break contact or blink.

"Now hold still, I don't know if this will work, but, if it does it will make everything a little better to bear, I hope" Said Cortana, cupping his mask as if to touch him, she closed her eyes and walked slowly forward, into his suit. John gasped, as he felt Cortana's hands around his back, her arms pressed into his side and what he knew was her head buried into his shoulder.

"H-how are you doing that?" he stammered

"I can control your suit remember? So I can actually make it seem like I'm here, just by manipulating the gel layer. Now you gonna stop asking questions and let me concentrate?" she held tighter, burying her head deeper into his shoulder. Chief instantly relaxed, not sure of what to do, but enjoying the feeling none the less. "There's only one downside to this, because it takes up so much of my run time it effectively cuts my life span down tremendously." She pulled her head away and looked into the chief's eyes. "I will only be here for a minute, maybe less" she smiled sadly, tears falling down her eyes. "Why did they have to make me with emotions?" she laughed lightly, her eyes closed as she rested her head against his. They stayed like this for some time, just holding each other, silence being reined between them because no words needed to be said. "Twenty seconds john" said Cortana as she pulled her forehead away from his and locked eyes with him. "No reason for me to regret this then" she said, and kissed him. She pulled away almost instantly, smiling as tears cascaded down her face, and to John's surprise tears were rolling down his too. "I never thought I would be happy to see you cry" she said, as she started to fade gradually away, flowing away like leaves in the wind. "I'll miss you Chief." She said, as she nearly faded away completely. "And I love you, john-117". She had gone. John fell to his knees. No words needed to be said, but when they are, they stay with you forever.

Chief walked out to Samus's land site, his walk strong and steady. Samus was leaning against the ship, arms crossed and head tilted to the side as chief got closer and closer. "Got everything you need?" Samus asked.

Chief looked at the empty data disk in his hands and began twirling it around. "Everything that needed to be said was said." Replied Chief, placing the empty data disk in the back of his helmet, to which Samus nodded, Chief not needing to say anymore. Samus seemed to press a command into her gun, and the lift from the bottom of her ship came down.

"Where we headed?" asked Chief, stopping before entering the ship. Samus pointed behind him, and when he turned he saw an orange planet, massive in size, at least three times the size of earth, with a soft blue hue surrounding the atmosphere. It seemed his ship had been orbiting around it.

"The planet?"

"Tallon five? If need be, but on the other side, just off its orbit is a space colony that has given off a distress signal, human origin. That's where I was headed when I spotted you." Samus turned and walked onto the platform, Chief following shortly after.

"The reason behind the signal?" asked chief, squeezing onto to lift next to her.

"No idea, but shouldn't be anything we can't handle"

The lift shot up into the spacecraft, soon after the spacecraft itself lifted off the platform, leaving the last remnant of the UNSC stranded in space, just to be forgotten in time and space.


End file.
